Donegal County Community Forum

Central to the establishment of the County Development Board, was the development of Donegal County Community Forum, as a countywide umbrella body for the Community and Voluntary Sector in the County.

The Donegal County Community Forum is the voice of the community and is recognised by the local authority and the statutory agencies as the body to be consulted on community issues affecting the county. This has resulted in the County Forum developing a very strong community thread through the County Development Strategy- the Donegal Strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development. The Donegal County Community Forum is made up of representatives from each of the five area fora, namely, East, South, North, Inishowen and the Gaeltacht.

The roles of the Donegal County Community Forum include representation, consultation, development & auditing of the sector, capacity building and training and implementation of the County Development Strategy.

The vision of the Donegal County Community Forum is to ”support and develop a vibrant community and voluntary sector through the Area Fora, actively promoting social inclusion and to represent the sector in decision-making structures in the County.”

In 2007 the County Community Forum has identified five areas to concentrate its efforts including:

• Breast screening services

• Lowering the level of waste production in the county

• Care for older people in their own communities

• Drug and drink culture in Donegal

• Community First Responder Scheme/Defibrillators

Work in these areas has already begun and a dedicated Community Development Officer with Donegal County Council is working closely with the County Community Forum to realise the objectives set.

The five Area Fora, North, South, East, Gaeltacht and Inishowen have been actively involved in developing their own areas with the assistance of the CDB agencies and the Community and Enterprise Unit, through the Area Management team, as appropriate. New officer boards have been elected as follows at area level: